Melody stood amidst the flaming wreckages.

She did it. Her mother was watching her proudly. The masked bastard was finally floored by her feet. Cytortia and the elf looked down bitterly. She won. She shut the mysterious mask-man up. Yet again, her strength proved her superiority and right to rule. There was no more opposition blocking her path to glory and restoration of her name.

But in the middle of her triumph, Melody did something she never thought of trying. It was a fundamental change in how she saw the world compare to the past.

Ok, she had beaten the mysterious man and gained Cytortia’s help. What next? Could she take out an entire nation? How would she usurp the throne and maintain the economic infrastructure of Demonic Continent? Now that she took time to ponder, was the Aztellic Dynasty’s market and economy even salvageable? Someone once told her economy was the production of good and service, and the only specialities the Continent provide were mercenaries and wars. What was food import figures again? Just how much debt was on the Dynasty’s tap? Holy hell, just how much cash remained in the central bank’s reserve fund. Wait, did the Continent even have a bank? How the hell did they pay the soldiers? Did she seriously consider putting her life, the life of her future comrades and her father’s remaining legacy on the chopping block for the nation that was politically and sociologically afflicted with terminal-stage cancer. What kind of weed was she on?

Melody distracted herself from her victory and glanced at Ebony Solarmaria's satisfied face. Somehow, the way she saw that face differed. The smile on her mother belonged to people who ignored reality.

“I shouldn’t win this fight,” Melody whispered at the scene from Millian. The day Rem and she fought. “Something is wrong. Rem was supposed to beat me.”

“Why?” The prone and bloody ‘Remus’ asked. “This is everything you want. You have beaten him and proved your point.”

“When does winning a fight change the logical fact that I am blatantly wrong?” Melody yelled at the obviously fake Rem. “If power gave you an obligatory morality license, no dictator will ever be unseated. Just because you have a might to shut the opposition doesn’t automatically make your point indisputable! Who the hell are you, because you sure aren’t Rem.”

Then Melody got it.

“Oh. This is a trail, isn’t it? Ha. Ha. Ha. Hilarious WORLD. Wipe my memory, trick my perception and drop me in the scenario where I defeated him. Do you actually believe I will be stupid enough to avert my eyeballs from the obvious and dunk head-first in a delusional conquest that will mysteriously turn alright, despite million loose pieces guaranteeing a tragic death? DO YOU THINK I AM AN IDIOT?”

The scenery dematerialized like a summer dream, revealing the WORLD giving Melody an ovation.

“I am impressed. A few months ago, you would fall for that false reality hook-line-sinker. You truly have changed to pass this trail with flying color.”

“I am smarter.”

“Smarter and wiser,” World agreed. “You have finally learnt the art of foresight and humility. This trail tested your maturity as a person by giving you the reality you want no matter how ridiculously false it is. I can create the world where Communism work, Feminism can reach the height of insanity without mass MGTOW, and the Wall Street can make infinite wealth with no social repercussion. But we all know reality won’t allow that.”

“Only idiots can fail a trail this obvious,” Melody pointed out.

“True, but here a thing about some smart people. They preferred an ego-soothing fanfiction over reality. Cognitive dissonance will kick in and bury any doubt they got. The power of True Magic is too dangerous to be left behind in the hand of the politician.”

“So, what do I get,” Melody asked.

“Well, your boss would do a better job explaining.”

Melody felt the entire reality flipped. Light and direction spun and blurred. The girl's inner-ears flipped half a dozen times before she found herself on the familiar multi-color platform with a familiar woman waiting for her.

“Hello, Melody,” Satholia in a summer dress waited for nauseated Melody to readjust. “How does it feel to be the first to receive my tutelage.”

…

While Melody was deep in her Contemplation, the rest of the Dawn was busily finishing the Rec Room.

“So, what will Satholia teach her?” Hikma was paving the floor with cement.

“Don’t know,” Rem replied, telekinetically placing the marble tiles. “Maybe she will go Dumbledore and teach Melody something about history.”

“Who is Dumbledore?” Luxinna came into the room with a furniture in arm.

“It’s Earth’s stuff, Luxinna,” Cytortia yelled as she tried to put the gas-pipe in order.

…

“Before we start, I need to tell you I am not Dumbledore. There will be no memory hunt quest where I educate you about the history of the Fair Folk or the opposing S-classes’ sob-story. I am teaching you how to fight the army and triumph when you are surrounded eighty-to-one. Oh, and during our lesson address me as Shishou.”

“Ok, Shishou.”

“Good girl. But before we start. I must express my apology to all of you.”

“Apology? Why, Shishou?”

“You aren’t as strong as you could have been,” Satholia said. “I left the basic to Scathach. However, Wayward’s appearance forced you to lean on Rem who brute-forced your progress, despite him struggling with his own True Magic. Although the result is acceptable, we end with the case of the blind leading the blind. For that, I apologize for not laying a better foundation and take a more rigorous care as you commander. These sessions are here to remedy my negligence.”

Melody didn’t expect Satholia to be this serious. The raw pressure she exuded was a pure, world-bending force of raw will.

“We will begin with the basic. First, you must understand True Magic and its classification,” Satholia began her lecture. “True Magic can develop into three types: Noblesse, Trinity, and Transcendental. Noblesse, such as you and Luxinna, will develop four Legends. Trinity will develop three, with one achieving a mutate state. Transcendental, such as Rem and Hikma, won’t have Legend, instead they achieve transcendental mastery in their True Magic.”

“Wait, you mean that is a reason Rem and Hikma never got a trail.”

“Yes, but never underestimate the Transcendental. Think of True Magic as a Martial Art. Noblesses are diversifier who master four disciplines. Trinity reaches pinnacle on one but mixed few schools to round their kit. Meanwhile, the Transcendental hones one style beyond its peak. The Transcendent can solve every problem you can with their one solution. To quote Bruce Lee: ‘Don't fear the man who knows 1,000 techniques. But fear the man that has practiced one technique 1,000 times.’ Truthfully, I am also a Transcendental.”

“You have a True Magic?”

Satholia laughed.

“Melody, do you think the more ruthless aspect of Center Force simply bow and let me takeover? I am not strong because I am the Queen of Center Force. The Center Force give me the throne because I am the single strongest and most skilled entities it ever birth.”

Melody tried to wrap her head around that. She knew Satholia was strong, but this revelation blew her mind.

“Now, let us got on the topic,” Satholia resumed her lecture. “We need to streamline your ability and work on your weakness. The growth of your Dragon Manifestation will accelerate under specific circumstance. I believe the most available method is absorbing a draconic power from another Dragon. That is the issue for tomorrow. What facing us now is your inefficiency.”

“Inefficiency?”

“Your kit is all over the place. [Nuclear Forge] and [Dravritra] might be a good beginning. But they each have a different weakness, which becomes a time-sink to fix. [Dravritra] hobbles you. [Nuclear Forge] needs raw materials. Once exploit, those flaws pretty much guarantee your defeat. You are putting your eggs in two separate faulty containers, Melody. We must disassemble your ability and build it back correctly. Fortunately, the WORLD just give us the perfect opportunity and save us several textbooks worth of Arcane lecture.”

Melody’s eyes widened.

“My 2nd Legend?”

“Ding! Ding!” Satholia smiled. “I love smart student. Now, I will explain your True Magic’s second feature. Manifestation-type Legends focus on symbolizing the attribute of the manifestation. Your first Legend gave you a Void-surfer’s evolution path. The second symbolizes your heritages. Melody, tell me what type of demon are your parents?”

“My father is an Asura and my mother is a succubus.”

“Asura’s ability in combat and the inheritance of [Heavenly Eye] is obvious. However, the Succubus part shouldn’t be underestimated. Common misconception mistook Succubus as sex-demon. Although that description come close to the ring of truth, it grossly skips the mechanic. Succubuses are demons that consume and manipulate soul and emotion. It is how your mother discovered [Anima Enchanting]. Her succubus nature allowed her to grasp a way to code spiritual property into her enchantment.”

Melody blinked. This was totally new to her.

“Ma can do that!?”

“You can too. Comprehending the relationship of soul and Mana give birth to [Anima Enchanting].”

“I think you just blown my mind”

“Piece it back together. Those are the crux shaping your 2nd Legend. Your new power is sublimation of your bloodline into a single cohesive ability. Essentially, your [Heavenly Eye] develop into a new Legend after your trial.”

Satholia showed Melody a scarlet glowing sigil of an eye, composed entirely out of light and shimmered like a desert haze.

“Meet your 2nd True Magic: [Scarlet Brand Soul-gazer].”

Melody looked confuse at the symbol.

“Okay, what does it do?”

“Melody, ‘it’ is the summation of your entire existence and a supreme ability developed from [Heavenly Eye]. This brand is directly possessed by autonomous consciousness and observation ability linked to your trait. And lucky for us, out of your three traits — Dragon, Asura and Succubus — the Succubus part gave it an ability to bestow soul.”

Melody blinked.

“What?”

“Soul, Melody. A pseudo consciousness,” Satholia explained. “This brand was the ultimate magical talisman for [Anima Enchanting]. Forget weapon, you can give life to an artifact and turn it power into something even the gods never imagine. You can’t believe how lucky we are. These little guys pretty much have potential to triple your ability and cut down the time to rebuild your kit by half. Our goal is to get you accustom to the magical talisman a mage will sell their soul for.”

Melody couldn’t help but feel doubtful. Was the brand that impressive?

“I can guarantee even that you that an entire 33 Stars and their grandparent won’t even want to put a fight against you once you master it.”

“Okay,” Melody nodded. “How?”

“Glad, you ask,” Satholia beamed. “But we must take it slow. Luckily, the Asura trait of [Heavenly Eye], [Link Consciousness] and [Maximum Circuit] is something you can grasp in a day. Our main road block is the Dragon aspect — [Authority]. Only after mastering [Authority] can you properly wield the succubus trait — [Soul Servant] and [Spirit Drain].”

“Wait… isn’t that six abilities,” Melody gaped.

“At last, you realize why I am saying this little thing is our savior,” Satholia nodded.

“That thing has six functions roll in to a single skill,” Melody was flabbergasted.

“Yes,” Satholia said. “The first three is pretty easy to use, but [Authority] is the hardest. And that is the initial state of our training.”

“Okay, so how do I train that?”

…

Melody was presented with a simple tool. It was training equipment Rem would totally commend for its cheapness, simplicity and depth.

A tiny candle inside a plastic cup suspend from a stick by a thin thread.

“Melody, this is an incredibly difficult exercise,” Satholia warned Melody who successfully conjured the [Scarlet Brand Soul-gazer]. “I would say Rem is the best person for you to ask for a tip, because this is something right in his alley. The technique I am about to teach you is called [Soul-gazer: Soul Splendor].”

“Okay, so what am I supposed to do?”

“Snuff the candle out without tipping or destroying the cup or cutting the string with [Authority].” Satholia said. “[Soul Splendor] is a technique to weaponise raw soul pressure of a dragon. It is range is anti-army attack. This soul pressure could also nullify attack. Think Rem’s [Tenshou], but power with pure tyrannical soul of the dragon.”

“Okay.”

“Reach inside yourself, feel the Void Surfer, and channeled it presence through the brand…”

RIP!

“…as expected.”

The plastic cup got tore to piece by invisible force, smashing the candle into smithereens.

“Huh,” Melody’s mouth hung open.

“That is the brain of your target exploding like watermelon,” Satholia answered, before going on a rant. “And they say being good and kind is weak. Yeah, if everyone is lazy like those edgy morons, this world will be a fucking Stallone film! You know how much effort it took to stop someone without turning their head to paste. Get up to my level you lazy motherfuckers.”

“Shishou,” Melody never had a teacher who vented her grievance like that.

“Oh, sorry,” Satholia calmed down with a few breaths. “Dragon soul pressure is incredibly powerful. Thankfully, dragons are too lazy and overconfident to bother learning its application. If they do, we would be running around stopping them from turning an entire country into blood festival during their fly-over. This exercise teaches you how to control and direct that pressure without turning the entire countryside into a slaughterhouse. Too little pressure and nothing happen. Too much and the cup blown up. The goal is to target and snuff out the fire delicately, while leaving everything intact.”

Melody got it.

“So, we are working the power management and targeting in one go. Wow, this is actually a good exercise.”

“Thank you,” Satholia produced another cup. “Now, second try.”

…

Two hours tickled by before Melody finally extinguished the candle.

“Whew… finally!” Melody cheered after wiping off her sweat.

“Don’t celebrate too soon,” Satholia placed two cups in front of the demoness.

It was then Melody realized the true nightmare of this training.

“No. No freaking way. You aren’t telling me to snuff both of them out at once and kept increasing the number when I succeed.”

Satholia smiled sweetly.

“Ding! Ding!”

The girl felt a part of her died inside. Barely a day in and she missed Scathach.

…

The night the Dawn witnessed Melody yelling at the room full of plastic cups and candles. The groups gulped, dawning on the fact their freakish commander wasn’t kidding around about stepping the gas on the training train.

And sadly, Hikma was the next one out of luck.